


a mother's love (endures through all)

by sunnylittleyang



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Family Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, inspired by the "summer rose... my mom" line from volume 8 episode 9
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-19 01:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29499489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnylittleyang/pseuds/sunnylittleyang
Summary: Growing up, Summer Rose was the only mother Yang ever knew, she was the only mother she ever needed. From the day Raven left onward, Summer loved Yang like she was her own. Because in every way but biological, she was.Or; three times Summer Rose came home from a mission, and the one time she didn’t.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	a mother's love (endures through all)

Summer was the only one Tai felt comfortable calling. He knew that she was off on a mission, but he had no idea where Qrow stood in the newfound dynamic of Tai and Raven’s relationship, and being a woman, Tai hoped that maybe Summer would know how to handle the squirming and crying newborn resting in his arms.

Tai tried to keep the exhaustion and emotional anguish out of his message, but if Summer’s urgency was anything to go by, it didn’t work.

“So Raven just up and left?” The huntress asked on the other end. Tai could hear the shuffling of clothes and what sounded like a suitcase closing. He had assured his teammate that there was no hurry, she was on a mission and was doing important work. But the woman hadn’t relented, promising that she’d be on the next airship over to Patch.

“Yeah.” He sighed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Yang started fussing again. “I woke up this morning to Yang crying in the other room with a note attached to her crib. It just said ‘I’m leaving, don’t come looking for me.’ with her name signed.”

Tai had known since they first found out that Raven was pregnant that she was terrified to become a mother. But she had humored him with shopping and baby showers and a gender reveal. It was natural for new mothers to feel nervous about the idea of motherhood, but Tai had thought that actually seeing and holding Yang in her arms after nine months would change her mind. Apparently not.

So there Tai was, cradling a newborn, one day old Yang in his arms as he called his Beacon teammate, desperate for some kind of help taking care of his daughter.

Summer had hung up the phone with the sound of the hotel door closing behind her, promising that she would be there as soon as she could.

Tai sat on the couch, alternating between rocking Yang in his arms, walking her around the house, and setting her in her crib in hopes that at least one of his attempts would finally get the newborn to settle down. But it was clear that she was missing the warmth of her mother. Skin to skin contact was important for a baby, they had learned  _ that _ in one of their parenthood classes, and at that point, Yang had limited physical contact with her mother. It was only natural for her to feel uncomfortable and upset without it, and not even Tai holding her to his chest made up for it. It wasn’t the same, she needed Raven.  _ He _ needed Raven.

But Raven had made her decision. She didn’t want to be a mother, and she had left her husband (though, if the abandoned ring on their nightstand he had found earlier that morning was anything to go by, the better term would be  _ ex _ -husband) and her newborn daughter without a second thought. He would have to learn to live with that and unfortunately, so would their daughter.

His saving grace was a knock on the door, a soft one that he had come to associate with the dark-haired woman he had called that morning once he had gathered his bearings and figured out what he was going to do.

Shifting Yang so she fit in one of his arms, which wasn’t difficult with how small she was, Tai hurried toward the front door and nearly threw it open, visibly sighing in relief when he met bright silver eyes and darkened red and black hair, flowing in the wind with her signature white cape.

“I can’t thank you enough for coming on such short notice.” He started, moving his arms so he was once again cradling the baby in his arms with both arms. “I didn’t know who else to call, I didn’t know if Qrow is aware that Raven left or if he’s on her side so-”

His tired ranting was cut off by the smaller woman reaching up and wrapping her arms around the blonde man’s shoulders. She pulled him down to her in a hug, mindful of the newborn fidgeting in his arms, and he was ashamed of how quickly he melted into it. It had been a long day, and he was thankful that he wasn’t alone anymore.

“Don’t apologize for reaching out and needing help, Tai.” Summer finally spoke, pulling away gently. Her eyes darted down to the bundle in his arms, and the woman’s round features softened as she reached out and brushed her finger gently across the baby’s cheek. “Besides, I didn’t get to meet this little one yesterday. I was planning on coming over anyways. It’s just going to be... a bit more long-term than I expected.”

Summer was already brushing past him and wheeling her suitcase into the living room by the time Tai comprehended what she had said and before he could think to ask her what she meant.

Tai followed her into the living room and sat down on the couch, laughing at the woman who was already sitting down with her arms open. “Let me hold her.” Summer stated, her gaze darting back to the fussing Yang. “My hold may not be the same as Raven’s, but maybe it’s similar enough that it’ll calm her down.”

Tai obliged with ease, gently fixing the blanket around his daughter’s tiny frame as he transitioned her to rest in Summer’s arms.

For someone who didn’t have any experience with babies, as Summer had informed him and Raven soon after they had announced that they were expecting, she seemed to be a natural with Yang. She moved the blankets away from Yang’s chin, smiling as she took in the baby’s features. The baby’s eyes opened and looked up at the woman holding her, acknowledging the change in position.

Summer cooed, rocking the newborn and cradling her closer to her chest. “She has your face.” She mused, before following up with, “And your hair.”

Tai expected Yang to cry out again, a pattern he had grown accustomed to throughout the day; a few moments of silence at the most when put in a new placement before being followed up with a new bout of whines and cries. Instead, she seemed to settle down, letting out a tender yawn as she nuzzled into Summer’s chest in contentment.

Tai was shocked, nearly falling off the couch at the sight. “I haven’t been able to get her to calm down like that at all today.” He muttered, reaching out and fixing an edge of the blanket that was slipping off. “The last time she was this chill was when Raven put her down to sleep last night.”

Summer visibly grimaced at the mention of the runaway mom, but thankfully didn’t bring it up. Instead, she pulled their attention back to the baby who was now asleep in her arms. “Probably just needed a warm body. A warm  _ female _ body.” She added thoughtfully. 

She stood up, careful not to disturb the bundle that was now snoozing peacefully in her arms. “Where’s the nursery?” She inquired, looking up at Tai. 

He took in the sight, and Tai couldn’t help but think about how  _ right _ the sight felt. Summer holding a baby in her arms, smiling up at him with a motherly glow.

He shook his head, brushing off the momentary thought as him just being tired. Instead of allowing the daydream to broaden, he pointed up the stairs. “I’ll show you the way.” Tai said, starting up the stairs. “It’s right next to me and…” He trailed off, realizing that it wasn’t technically his and Raven’s room anymore. “It’s right next to my room.”

Summer nodded, and Tai didn’t miss the flash of sadness that briefly showed on her face. She followed him up the stairs and stepped into Yang’s nursery, taking a second to look around.

“Dragon-themed, huh?” She smirked, laughing softly as she made her way across the room and over to the baby girl’s crib. “I’m not sure why I’m surprised.”

Tai chuckled, watching Summer gently lay Yang down in her bassinet and brush a lock of curly blonde hair out of her face. The baby was now fast asleep for the first time since before Raven had left the night before, and Tai couldn’t have been more thankful. “Well, she wasn’t gonna be named ‘sunny little dragon’ and  _ not _ have a dragon-themed room.” He said pointedly, looking over the crib railing at his daughter. As Summer began to head out of the room, a thought struck Tai. It was risky, but he didn’t have much left to lose.

“You said that this was more temporary than you thought.” He began, halting Summer in her steps as she turned to look back at him. “Yang seems to really like you and I could really use the help. So, what if you stayed here for a bit and helped me out with her? We have a spare guest room and plenty of space and food and... I’d really like it if you’d stay for a bit.”

A few seconds passed, and Tai was worried that he had overstepped. But Summer’s face broke out into a grin, a bright smile that made his own lips quirk up in response. She looked over at the crib and back at her former teammate and nodded. “I love Yang. She doesn’t deserve to suffer because of Raven’s abandonment... and neither should you.” She stepped closer to Tai, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear. “If you really don’t mind having me around, I’d love to stay and help.”

Tai dipped his head and beamed. As he glanced between Yang and Summer, he couldn’t help but imagine a new start and a new future. Maybe not the one he envisioned but, his mind darting back to the image of Summer holding Yang, a beautiful and hopeful future nonetheless.

═

**2.**

Nights where Summer got home late from a mission were few and far between, but when they did happen, those nights were particularly hard on the almost two year old Yang.

After Raven left the day after Yang was born, Summer hadn’t left the Xiao Long household. Rather, she had joined it officially about a year or so into cohabitating with Tai and Yang; Qrow had told him early on that platonic co-parenting wouldn’t stay that way for long, and he was right.

Summer was permanently living with them, dating Tai and taking over the role of Yang’s mother.

Tai had been worried at first that Yang not being Summer’s biologically would interfere with their relationship, but since the moment she first held Yang, she had loved and treated Yang like she was her own flesh and blood. The fact that she hadn’t been the one to bring Yang into the world didn’t mean anything to her, and thankfully it hadn’t clashed with how Yang saw Summer. Summer was Yang’s mother and Yang was Summer’s daughter, it was as simple as that.

But parenthood hadn’t kept Summer from Grimm-hunting missions, it was their main form of income. For the first few months, Summer stayed home to take care of Yang while Tai went on missions. But after a while, Summer started to get restless, so their roles switched.

But Summer’s one rule was this: get home to Tai and Yang as soon as possible. She loved slaying monsters, but she loved her family more. She always tried her best to get home from missions on time, but the life of a huntsman was unpredictable, so some nights, Summer wouldn’t be home at the time she promised she would.

One night had been particularly tough. Tai knew about “terrible twos” and while Yang was a good toddler for the most part, she had her moments.

Tai made her dinner, washed her hair, and settled her into bed with ease. But it was actually getting her to turn off the lights and fall asleep that was the hard part. 

“I’m not going to sleep until mommy gets back.” Yang stated sternly, wiggling her way out of her blankets to sit up. “She told me that she would be home, so I’m waiting for her.”

Tai sighed in defeat, kneading his forehead in exhaustion. He had suspected that Yang would do this tonight, but he had hoped that taking her to the park today would tire her out enough that she would go to sleep without much of a fight.

“Mommy will be back in the morning.” Tai promised, attempting to pull the sheets back over her. But she only fidgeted more, whining as she flopped against her father’s chest. “No!” Yang protested, clenching her tiny fists and crossing her arms. “I wanna wait for mommy!”

It had been a while, and Tai had almost forgotten how draining it was to fight Yang like this. But once she was set on something, there was no getting her to change her mom.  _ Branwen genes _ , he told himself internally.  _ It’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with stubbornness like this. _

“You can wait for her, laying in bed with your eyes closed.” He suggested. He knew better than to expect it to work, Yang was a smart kid, even for her age, but it was an attempt.

As expected, Yang shook her head again, furthering her pout as she leaned against the headboard. “Not gonna work, daddy.” She countered. “Mommy said she’d be back before bed, so I’m gonna wait for her.”

“Looks like you won’t have to wait long, then.” A voice chimed in from the door of the room, and Tai glanced over his shoulder in surprise as Yang shot up from her bed and wailed, “Mommy!” as she flung herself into her mother’s arms.

Despite holding onto a suitcase, Summer freed her arms just in time to catch the golden blur running at her. “Hey, sunshine.” She laughed, and Tai smiled softly at the sight of his girlfriend holding his daughter tightly, spinning her in a circle as the toddler buried her face in her mother’s neck. “Did you miss me?”

“Of course I missed you, mommy!” She replied, her voice much more chipper and bright than it had been a few moments ago when she was vehemently fighting her father and refusing to go to bed. “You told me you’d be back before bed, so I waited for you!”

Summer giggled, leaning down and setting Yang on the ground. She put a hand on her back and gently pushed her in the direction of her bed. “Thank you for waiting for me.” She told the girl. “But it’s late, and we have plenty of time to catch up in the morning.”

Yang obeyed happily, scurrying back to where Tai sat next to her blankets and pillows. Tai rolled his eyes playfully, an action that did not go unnoticed by the dark-haired woman. Summer followed her daughter back to her bed, pressing a quick kiss against Tai’s cheek as she brushed Yang’s bangs out of her face as she squirmed back under the sheets and got settled there.

“Are you all settled?” Summer questioned, laughing at Yang’s response of clutching her teddy bear close to her chest and yawning. Yang simply nodded, humming under her breath.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” She mused, leaning down and kissing Yang on the forehead. Tai copied the motion, chuckling when Yang yanked him down for a hug. “G’night, daddy.” She mumbled sleepily, blindly clutching at the air for Summer. The mother crouched down and gently wrapped Yang in a hug as Yang repeated her earlier sentiments, “G’night, mommy.”

Both parents finally pulled away, and Summer stepped out of the room while Tai flicked the light off and shut the door. Their last sight was of their daughter, tucked safely under her duvet covers, already snoring softly and fast asleep.

Tai tucked his arm around Summer’s shoulder, pulling her to his side. He ducked his head and buried a kiss on her temple. “Welcome back, baby.” He mumbled, leading her back to their bedroom as he relished in the safety and comfort of Summer and their daughter.

═

**3.**

A chorus of loud cries rang out from the living room, which was currently serving as a playroom while Tai darted around various parts of the kitchen. The two and a half year old Yang was laying on the floor, absentmindedly doodling in her coloring book while her five month old baby sister, Ruby, was sitting next to her, crying. He had just fed Ruby and given her a bottle before setting her down next to her sister, and now he was trying to make something for himself and his oldest daughter to eat.

“Ruby, why are you crying?” Yang asked, oblivious to the cause of the baby’s distress. Yang, bless her heart, had been like this ever since her sister was born. She was a bit too young to understand that Ruby was a baby and that babies cried naturally, so she always tried her best to ask her sister what was wrong and figure out how she could help Ruby feel better.

Tai and Summer had been worried that Yang would suffer “older sibling syndrome” after Ruby was born when the couple learned that they were expecting, especially since Yang was still so young herself. Yang was never possessive of her parents, she never had any reason to be, but some of their friends told them that it was not uncommon for kids to feel neglected and left out when a new baby joined the family and all of the attention went to taking care of them.

But neither of them had any issues like this with Yang. The older girl seemed to be taking her new role of big sister in stride; she was never jealous of the attention that Ruby got and if anything, it seemed to be  _ Ruby’s _ attention that Yang craved the most.

Yang had adored Ruby from the moment that Summer informed Yang that she would soon have a little sibling. She always talked to Ruby inside of Summer’s stomach, as though she were already out in the world and listening to her, and she was absolutely ecstatic when her parents revealed that her sibling was going to be a girl.

When Ruby was born, Yang was starstruck. She was scared of how little she was at first, but soon overcame that fear after she held her little sister for the first time. Yang had promptly declared that Ruby was her new best friend and she vowed to always protect her no matter what, and they were inseparable from that point forward.

That made having a newborn in the house a lot easier. Tai and Summer had both taken care of Yang since she was born, but the dynamic was different when there was an older sibling involved in the equation. But Yang wanted to help out with her baby sister in any way she could, and they were thankful for the peaceful and conflict-free new family dynamic.

But the problem was that Yang was still very little herself and didn’t understand that Ruby’s cries were for reasons out of her control. So while the sentiment of knowing that Yang loved and cared for her little sister and wanted to help was nice, it didn’t do much for actually taking care of the problem.

Tai stumbled into the living room upon hearing the cries that he had grown accustomed to within the past five months. He scooped his daughter into his arms, settling on the couch next to where Yang was settled on the floor as he adjusted Ruby’s position and gently began rocking her. “What is it, sweetheart?” He cooed. He didn’t smell anything so he knew that she didn’t need to be changed, and she had just been fed so she couldn’t have been hungry either.

“Maybe she’s sleepy?” Yang piped up from her spot on the floor, dropping her crayons to glance up at her father and sister taking up residence on the sofa.

She was probably right, as Ruby had been up wriggling in her crib and wailing all night. But without her mother, it was nearly impossible to put Ruby down to sleep for any amount of time.

Summer was out on a mission for the first time since she had Ruby. She loved her daughters and she loved taking care of her youngest, but killing monsters was in Summer’s nation. She had been counting down the days until her body would be healed enough to go back out on huntsman jobs, and after five months, she was given the all-clear to get back to work.

Yang had gotten better with dealing with her mother going away on missions. But Ruby was still so little and didn’t understand why, after five months of practically being attached to her mother, she was suddenly being forced to go without that connection.

Ruby was her mother’s mini-me, with dark black hair and red tips and bright silver eyes, so it made sense that she was so deeply emotionally and physically attached to Summer.

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” Tai responded finally, sighing as he winced when Ruby let out a particularly loud, unhappy screech. “But she won’t go to sleep without your mother here. That’s why she’s so fussy now, she was up all night.”

Yang’s face twisted, undoubtedly trying to come up with an alternative solution. She opened her mouth to respond, but any thought she was about to verbalize was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. Tai’s eyes shot up to meet the front door, Yang’s following the motion, and they were greeted by the sight of Summer Rose herself stepping into the house, slipping her white hood off the top of her head and shaking her hair out. Her eyes peered out from where she stood in the door frame and upon seeing her boyfriend and two daughters sitting there, her face broke out into a huge grin.

“Mommy!” Yang exclaimed, shooting up from the floor and meeting her mother at the door as she wrapped her arms around Summer’s legs in greeting.

Summer giggled, ruffling her oldest daughter’s hair with a smile. “Hi, my little dragon.” She chimed, crouching down so she could properly pull Yang into a hug. With a quick kiss pressed into her hair, she finally let the blonde girl go and made her way over to where Tai and her youngest daughter were.

“Hey, honey.” Tai mumbled in greeting as Summer’s lips met his. Her response was a light hum and a smile, and she pulled away only to reach down and pull her baby girl into her arms. “Hello, my flower.” Summer smiled, dropping her lips to brush against Ruby’s forehead. Ruby made a happy noise, her cries and whines stopping almost as soon as she was back in her mother’s arms.

Summer sat down on the couch and Tai moved to the side, putting an arm around her shoulder as she settled into the cushions of the couch and adjusted Ruby’s position in her arms. Yang bounced over to where the rest of her family were seated, hopping onto her father’s lap and settling against his chest. Tai copied Summer’s earlier motion by tousling Yang’s golden curls and he reached over to brush Ruby’s bangs out of her face. He leaned over and pressed another kiss to Summer’s cheek and with his whole family all together again, he couldn’t have been happier.

═

**4.**

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Yang could tell by the way her father paced back and forth by the front door, alternating between anxiously running his hands through his hair and checking his scroll.

Her mother returning home from missions late wasn’t usually a concerning thing. More often than not, she returned home from later than she promised without being able to send them a message about the change of plans. But something was different this time.

Maybe it was the feeling of dread in the air. Maybe it was the fact that Grimm were getting more aggressive and numerous and huntsman missions were becoming more dangerous. Whatever it was, the worry and anxiety were driving her father and her uncle up the wall and, by extension, Yang herself and Ruby.

Yang could hear her father talking on his scroll with Uncle Qrow every hour or so in what she assumed were check-ins. He had dropped by their house earlier that day, putting a comforting hand on Tai’s shoulder as he promised that he would go out and look for Summer and make sure everything was okay.

Yang didn’t quite understand why her father was so worried, but as he gently asked Yang to take her sister upstairs and keep her occupied, exhaustion and dread evident in his eyes, she didn’t ask any questions. She took residence up in Ruby’s room, letting her three year old sister retell her all of the fairytales that their mother read to them before bed each night. Ruby rambled on, waving her toys around and babbling on, repeating the few words and phrases she remembered from their nightly stories. None the wiser to what was potentially unfolding within their family.

Every now and then she’d hear muffled conversations from downstairs, conversations that she concluded were between her father and her uncle. Most of the time it was the same, her father asking if he had any updates and her uncle responding with, “No.”

Yang tried to make the best of the lack of news on her mother. Every call that came without anything new was another call that meant that her mother was probably okay. The life of a huntsman was scary and dangerous, her parents had both made sure to make Yang and her sister aware of that fact. But they didn’t know of anyone who had  _ died _ in the line of duty. Why would her mother be the first?

Summer had told them enough stories of her adventures, slaying monsters and saving the world. She was brave and strong and a capable huntress, and  _ nothing _ was powerful enough to take Summer Rose down. She did the same thing before she left for each mission: she pressed a kiss to Yang and Ruby’s foreheads, pulled them into a hug, bid them goodbye, and promised that she would come home safe. 

She wouldn’t break that promise.  _ She couldn’t break that promise. _

Yang didn’t know how long she sat there, keeping Ruby distracted with toys and games and stories. She eventually tuned out the noise coming from downstairs, though after a certain amount of time the speaking died down and her father went back to pacing, his sound of his shoes hitting the floor echoing through the empty and quiet hallways of the Xiao Long-Rose household.

The sun was starting to set, orange light flooding into the bedroom, when Yang and Ruby were both alerted to the sound of the front door opening. They both stood up and scurried down the stairs, ready to jump into their mother’s arms and greet her just like they always did.

_ See?  _ Yang wanted to tell the world.  _ She didn’t break her promise. _

She and Ruby both raced down the staircase, nearly tripping over each other in their hurry to reach Summer. Their giggles reverberated through the house, and they both excitedly hopped into the living room from the last two stairs, the familiar call of “Mommy!” already on their lips as they stumbled into view of the front door.

They stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of what was waiting for them.

Instead of the welcoming sight of their mother, silver eyes bright with a smile already playing on her lips as she dropped her bags to catch both of her daughters, the entryway was instead occupied by the sight of shaggy black hair and pink eyes, one that they hadn’t seen since his last visit a few months back before he left for something that he only told his nieces was a “top secret, completely confidential mission”.

The girls’ smiles fell, a look of confusion taking the place of the looks of happiness that they showed just a few seconds prior. 

They both looked over to where their father was. He was on his knees, and they both heard sniffles coming from their father as he clutched a white piece of fabric to his chest, a piece that they both momentarily recognized as their mother’s signature cape and hood.

_ No. _

Uncle Qrow finally acknowledged their presence, and the look of heartbreak on his face was telling enough, at least for Yang. He glanced between his nieces and Tai, biting his lip as he tried to figure out what best to say in order to explain to them what was wrong. What had just happened that would permanently alter their lives forever and bring any joy they might have felt before this to a screeching halt.

Ruby was still visibly bewildered, too young to understand the gravity and the reality of her father and her uncle’s reactions. And while Yang still didn’t fully understand, the feeling of dread that pooled in her stomach was telling enough. She had a feeling she knew.

“Daddy! Uncle Qrow! What’s going on? We thought that mommy came home.” The dark-haired girl standing beside Yang chirped, shifting her weight between her feet uneasily. 

Yang heard her father choke on another sob from the floor, clutching Summer’s cloak closer to him as Qrow regarded them with glossy eyes. He opened his mouth, stumbling over his words in an effort to find a way to explain to the three year old why her mom wasn’t home yet, and why she would never be coming home again.

“Something happened, kiddo.” He finally settled on, crouching down and resting on his knees so he was eye level with both of his nieces. Yang’s blood froze, and she felt like time had stopped as she came to terms with her new reality, her worst fear come to life. What the dark feeling that had been hanging over the house all day had led up to in the end. As Ruby, innocent and confused and unknowing of what was going on, continued to question their uncle, tears started falling down Yang’s reddened cheeks as one, devastating phrase repeated over and over again inside of her head.

_ She broke her promise. _

**Author's Note:**

> the newest episode destroyed me, but i'm so glad that the show finally acknowledged that summer was yang's mom too, not just ruby's. anyways, thanks for reading!!


End file.
